Stonehenge

Stonehenge is a prehistoric
monument on Salisbury Plain in
Wiltshire, England, two miles (3 km)
west of Amesbury. It consists of an
outer ring of vertical sarsen standing
stones, each around 13 feet (4.0 m)
high, seven feet (2.1 m) wide, and
weighing around 25 tons, topped by
connecting horizontal lintel stones.
Archaeologists believe that
Stonehenge was constructed in
several phases from around 3100 BC to 1600
BC, with the circle of large sarsen stones
placed between 2600 BC and 2400 BC.
The surrounding circular earth bank and
ditch, which constitute the earliest phase of
the monument, have been dated to about
3100 BC. Radiocarbon dating suggests that
the bluestones were given their current
positions between 2400 and 2200 BC,[3]
although they may have been at the site as
early as 3000 BC.[4][5][6
• One of the most famous landmarks in the United Kingdom, Stonehenge
is regarded as a British cultural icon.[7] It has been a legally protected
scheduled monument since 1882,[1] when legislation to protect historic
monuments was first successfully introduced in Britain. The
site and its surroundings were added to UNESCO's list of
World Heritage Sites in 1986. Stonehenge is owned by the Crown and
managed by English Heritage; the surrounding land is owned by the
National Trust.[8][9]